Grocery Gardening Book Review

About a month ago I began hearing a buzz on Twitter about a new book that was coming out pertaining to growing and using fresh produce. Of course, any time I get word of these two topics my ears perk up as if E.F. Hutton were about to speak (those that grew up in the ’80′s know what I’m referring to). I began researching this new book on the internet to find out all I could about it. The more I read about the book, the more interested I became in getting my hands on it.

Exploring Grocery Gardening

Immediately, the two gorgeous green tomatoes on the cover softly lured me into picking it up with a come-hither look. The cover was simple, boldly elegant, and whisked me away to daydreams of summer. Once I snapped out of my daydream, I immediately began scanning through the table of contents. I was delighted to find topics such as Gardening 101, Organic Disease and Pest Management, Purchasing Quality Produce, Edibles, and Preserving Your Harvest.

The book features a wonderful page layout which contains soothing colors and bright images. I especially love the chapter on Edibles. The chapter is brilliantly organized and is similar to the organization of a web page. Each fruit, herb, or vegetable in the Edibles chapter contains four tabs that give information such as planting and growing, varieties, produce selection and harvest, and preserving. The last few pages of each edible are dedicated to several delicious recipes and nutritional information for the particular edible you are reading.

Grocery Gardening takes the reader through a complete journey of how to grow, select, maintain, prepare and preserve their own fresh foods. It features care tips, delicious recipes and preservation information for over 25 fruits, herbs, and vegetables.

Another superb chapter of the book is Purchasing Quality Produce. This chapter is full of valuable information on how to choose high quality produce when you have to buy from a market. For instance, if you want to know how to select and store quality cauliflower, here is what Grocery Gardening recommends:

The Last Book on Fresh Food You Will Ever Need

Grocery Gardening covers growing fresh food from the seed to the dinner table and beyond, eliminating the need to purchase several different types of books. You have a gardening book, a cookbook and a preserving book all wrapped under one cover. This is the last book on fresh food you will ever need!

A Little About The Authors

Jean Ann Van Krevelen

Jean Ann is widely known as one of the most influential people in social media on the internet. She also hosts many blogs on the internet and is nationally syndicated on many websites such as Chicago Sun Times, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. She can be reached on Twitter through her usename @JeanAnnVK and @GroceryGarden. You can also check out her blog – Gardener To Farmer.

Amanda Thomsen

Amanda Thomsen is a garden designer, Master Gardener and is a contributing editor and writer for Horticulture magazine’s website and blogs. She is also the co-host of the gardening podcast “Good Enough Gardening”. You can find Amanda on Twitter under her username @kissmyaster, and on her blog www.hortmag.com/kissmyaster.

Robin Ripley

Robin Ripley is a writer and garden speaker that is in high demand who educates gardeners on how to best to create a productive garden that is also pleasing to the eye. She is the national garden columnists for Examiner.com. Robin can be found on Twitter under the username @robinripley and on her blog Bumble Bee Blog.

Teresa O’Connor

Teresa O’Conner is a Master Gardener and garden writer who reaches thousands of gardeners through her articles for publications such as Gardening How-To Magazine and the National Home Gardening Club website. Teresa can be reached on Twitter under the username @seasonalwisdom and her blog Seasonal Wisdom.

Comments

You are so kind to speak so highly of our book! I loved writing it as much as you loved reading it…oh and to follow us on Twitter it is @GroceryGarden. Twitter is funny about the number of characters you can have in a name.

Thank you for bringing up the Twitter username. I will add it in the article!

Grocery Gardening is one of the most useful and informative books I have read. I think this book is essential for anyone that grows their own food, and for those that purchase produce from a market. I look forward to applying some of the advice in my own garden and kitchen this year!

Hi Tee: Thanks for such a lovely review of Grocery Gardening. It was a fun collaborative project, and I was delighted to be included. BTW, I’ve enjoyed reading your gardening-related Tweets as well. All the best, Teresa O’Connor

Thank you, Teresa! Grocery Gardening was a blast to read and so informative. It is refreshing to pick up a book that is so well put together and easy to read. I look forward to your tweets in the upcoming season! See you on Twitter